By Omar C. Garcia | Missions PastorKingsland Baptist Church | Katy, TexasFor the past several years, the people of Kingsland have been actively engaged on the front lines of the fight against human trafficking. We have invested substantial financial resources as well as untold numbers of volunteer hours in a variety of justice partnerships and initiatives. This morning, our justice ministry hosted our Fifth Annual Just Run for a Just Cause — designed to raise awareness about human trafficking and the plight of the oppressed. More than 1000 people from our church and community showed up to participate in our 5k and 10k run and 1 mile family walk.I was especially glad to see all of the families with children of all ages that participated in this morning’s Just Run. One of my favorite songs is entitled “By Our Love” by singer Christy Nockels. One of the verses of the song says, “Children, you are hope for justice, stand firm in the Truth now, set your hearts above. You will be reaching, long after we’re gone, and they will know you by your love!” If we teach our children about justice today, then it’s possible that they will become champions who will come to the aid of those who will suffer oppression in the next generation. If we fail to teach our children about justice, then future generations will suffer.

As part of our efforts to educate our community about human trafficking, we set up our justice wall —a display that stretched sixty-feet across our parking lot. Each panel in the wall sequentially illustrates the story of how young girls are trafficked and how those who champion justice come to their aid. Over the past months we have loaned our wall to other groups who have used this massive display to educate others about human trafficking. For many today, the story on the wall was their first exposure to the truth about a reality they may never see — the dark world of human trafficking.

I am grateful for Paul Crandall, our Recreation Pastor, and to Kingsland member and race coordinator Rebecca Kratz. They did an amazing job of mobilizing an army of volunteers and coordinating a thousand details to make this year’s race a huge success. I am also grateful to be a part of a church that refuses to be silent about human trafficking, that invests financial and human resources to speak and work on behalf of those who have no voice, and that is determined to stay on the front lines of this battle.

The most convicting thing on our justice wall is a quote by abolitionist William Wilberforce: “You may choose to look the other way but you can never again say that you did not know.” We refuse to look the other way. And we are determined to do all that we can to make a difference. We understand that if we are absent from the front lines of this battle, many will continue to suffer unimaginable horrors. We also understand that we cannot fight this battle alone and are committed to supporting and undergirding the work of our local and international justice partners. Thanks to all who participated and who worked behind scenes to make our Fifth Annual Just Run for a Just Cause a success.

Until recent weeks, not many of us had heard the name Abubakar Shekau — leader of Boko Haram, the terrorist group that has claimed responsibility for the abduction of 284 Nigerian schoolgirls. In a moved that stunned the world on April 14, Shekau and his minions kidnapped 276 girls from a school in Chibok and, shortly thereafter, another 8 girls. This is but one of the latest evils perpetrated against children by this Nigeria-based Islamic terrorist group.

As if fools and idiots were lacking on the world stage, Shekau forced his way onto the pages of the Playbill and assumed his position in front of a global audience. And he could care less about rotten tomatoes. A Boko Haram intermediary said that Shekau “is the craziest of all the commanders. He really believes it is OK to kill anyone who disagrees with him.” For an encore performance, Boko Haram slaughtered more than 300 people in a Nigerian village near the Cameroon border. No wonder the words Boko Haram have become a synonym for fear in Nigeria.

Why school girls? The answer may lie, in part, in the meaning of the words Boko Haram. This Arabic-Hausa compound phrase conveys a range of ideas from “books are forbidden” to “Western education is forbidden” or “is a sin.” A man claiming to be Shekau said in a recently released video that girls should be married by age 12, not go to school. “I abducted your girls,” he boasted. “I will sell them in the market, by Allah. There is a market for selling humans. Allah says I should sell. He commands me to sell. I will sell women. I sell women.”

As if to add insult to injury, the thickset bearded psychopath said, "Why is everybody making noise just because I took some girls who were in western education anyway?” In the mind of Shekau, it’s a sin for Muslim girls to get an education but it’s ok for him to kidnap and sell these young girls into forced marriages or slavery where they will lose their innocence and be repeatedly overpowered and raped. This is the reasoning of a man whose impoverished worldview has no regard for the sanctity of human life.

Acts of violence like those committed by Boko Haram in Nigeria are no longer just some unfortunate regional problem. The kidnapping of the schoolgirls has stirred global outrage. Parents, women, and girls around the planet are standing in solidarity with the kidnapped Nigerian students. Using the hashtag Bring Back Our Girls, people around the globe have let their voices be heard. Among them, Malala Yousafzai, the young Pakistani girl who was shot at point-blank range by the Taliban and survived.

Let’s pray that Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan indeed has some good luck in finding “our” girls. Perhaps he will finally deal decisively with Shekau and Boko Haram with the assistance of other nations who have offered their expertise and intelligence. No evil that seeks to destroy children, a nation’s most precious resource and hope for the future, should be allowed to commit acts of terror with impunity. #BringBackOurGirls

September is Human Trafficking Awareness month in Houston. Throughout the month, churches and faith-based organizations will host justice-related initiatives throughout the greater Houston area. This morning, Kingsland Baptist Church’s Justice Ministry hosted their Fourth Annual Just Run for a Just Cause — designed to raise awareness about human trafficking and the plight of the oppressed. More than 1000 people from our church and community showed up to participate in our 5k and 10k run and 1 mile family walk.

As part of Kingsland's efforts to educate folks about human trafficking, we set up our justice wall —a display that stretched sixty-feet across our parking lot. Each panel in the wall sequentially illustrates the story of how young girls are trafficked and how those who champion justice come to their aid. In the coming months, our justice wall will be on display at other justice events to help compel people to become champions on behalf of the oppressed. For many today, the story on the wall was their first exposure to the truth about a reality they may never see — the dark world of human trafficking.

We at Kingsland believe that the church must be engaged in the fight against human trafficking. We also understand that this battle will not be won in our generation. We are, however, determined to do all that we can to make a difference. We are also determined to equip and pass the baton along to the next generation, those who will champion the cause and come to the aid of the oppressed long after we are gone. If the church is absent from the front lines of this battle, many will continue to suffer unimaginable horrors. We must be engaged in this fight.

I am grateful for Paul Crandall, our Recreation Pastor, and to Kingsland member and race coordinator Rebecca Kratz. They did an amazing job of mobilizing an army of volunteers and coordinating a thousand details to make this year’s race a huge success. I have to add that Josh Stewart, Ely Butuyan, and Breanna Derbecker sang one of the most beautiful renditions of the Star Spangled Banner that I have ever heard. Amazing!

I am grateful that Kingsland is a church that refuses to be silent about human trafficking, that invests financial and human resources to speak and work on behalf of those who have no voice, and that is determined to stay on the front lines of this battle. The most convicting thing on our justice wall is a quote by abolitionist William Wilberforce: “You may choose to look the other way but you can never again say that you did not know.” We refuse to look the other way.

I had a pleasant and uplifting surprise today — one that warmed my heart and made me smile. Grace Carmichael, one of our Kingsland kids, brought a special offering to church this morning. Last week, Grace set up a lemonade stand in her neighborhood to raise money to fight human trafficking. She enlisted the help of her grandparents who provided baked goodies and also recruited some friends to help her. Grace raised $65.00 and brought her gift to church in a zip lock bag.Grace’s mother Rachel said, “Grace knew very little about problems outside of her small world until this church purposefully took a stand and action” to fight human trafficking. She added, “It was a marvelous sight to see my nine-year-old teach people about the problems of human suffering and give selflessly.” Grace modeled what we often tell our kids at Kingsland: you don’t have to be a grown-up to make a difference in our world. One of my favorite songs is entitled “By Our Love” by singer Christy Nockels. One of the verses of the song says, “Children, you are hope for justice, stand firm in the Truth now, set your hearts above. You will be reaching, long after we’re gone, and they will know you by your love!” If we teach our children about justice today, then it’s possible that our children will become champions who will come to the aid of those who will suffer oppression in the next generation. At Kingsland, we encourage and guide parents to be the primary faith trainers of their children. Our prayer is that as we work alongside parents, we can teach our kids to be a little less selfish, a little more thoughtful of those in need, and much more willing to make personal sacrifices in order to make a difference. We also hope that as a result of intentionally teaching our children about justice, our children will do something to make a difference both now and in the years to come. I am proud of Grace and encouraged by the fact that she did something practical and measurable to help people in desperate need. Her gift will help us as we continue to work on behalf of the 27 million people in the world today who are trapped in some form of slavery. One-hundred percent of her gift will be used to help victims of human trafficking both locally and among the nations.May we continue to teach our kids about the unfamiliar passions of God — caring for the least of these, helping the weak, and championing the cause of the oppressed. And may we continue to teach them that they can make a difference now. I appreciate the fact that Grace’s parents and grandparents encouraged her to follow-through on her idea to set up a lemonade stand for justice. That’s a great way to raise up a generation of champions.

by Omar C. GarciaYesterday, the Kolkata edition of The Times of India newspaper featured a story about another small victory in the fight against human trafficking. Six years after her arrest, a brothel madam was convicted of human trafficking and sentenced to “seven years rigorous imprisonment” — something that is supposedly akin to hard labor under tough conditions. Although it took a long time, the victim finally had her day in court and justice prevailed.

The news account is instructive because it describes the methods that traffickers use to trap and subdue their victims. The process generally starts with deception. Many of the stories about sex trafficking victims begin with an account of how they were deceived and lured away from their homes by people they trusted.

Jesus said that the devil “is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44). And, those in league with the devil know how to cleverly use lies and deception. Isaiah 32:7 states, “As for the scoundrel—his devices are evil; he plans wicked schemes to ruin the poor with lying words, even when the plea of the needy is right.”

According to the victim, the brothel madam “turned up at her home in a poverty-ridden village in North Bengal and promised her a job in Kolkata.” However, once she arrived in Kolkata, the woman forced her young victim to work in Sonagachhi, the largest red-light district in Kolkata. “She forced me to serve customers,” the victim told the judge, “and do bad work.”

In 2007, the Kolkata police, with the assistance of International Justice Mission, raided the brothel where the young woman was forced to work. They rescued her and arrested the brothel’s madam, owner, and manager. The pregnant young victim was placed in an aftercare home where she later gave birth to a boy. She also received counseling and vocational training and now works for a boutique that employs trafficking victims.

In India, where there is such a backlog of cases before the courts, it can take years before a case is brought to trial. But, six years being arrested for forcing a young village girl to work in filthy brothel, the woman responsible was finally held accountable for her deeds. John Gibson (1780-1853), a Pennsylvania Supreme Court justice, said, “The millstones of justice turn exceedingly slow, but grind exceedingly fine.”

I was so happy to read this story because the Kingsland women who have served on our justice initiatives to Kolkata know this young lady and her little boy. She is a reminder to us of why we are engaged in the fight against human trafficking and why we invest in aftercare initiatives in Kolkata and beyond.

We are motivated to do something about the issue of human trafficking because the plight of the oppressed is something that breaks God’s heart. Isaiah 58:6 says, “Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?”

May we continue to embrace God’s passion to reach the lost, rescue the oppressed, care for the suffering, and to speak on behalf of those who have no voice. And may we continue to work toward the day when "man who is of the earth may cause terror no more" (Ps. 10:18) in the lives of young girls.

Early this morning, our team of Kingsland students boarded our boat to leave the Sundarbans near the Bay of Bengal to begin the journey back to the mainland. While the Sundarban Islands are beautiful, life for those who call these islands home is tough. The people contend with weather-related challenges, the threat of crocodiles and tigers, mud that never dries, unbelievable heat and humidity, and more. At best, many of the islanders experience subsistence living. Life for them is a struggle in the midst of beauty.

Once we reached the mainland, we loaded our gear onto our vehicles and headed towards Kolkata. Our plan for today was to stop at a school for the children of brick-makers and to spend a couple of hours with them, sharing Bible stories. The families of these children are unskilled migrant laborers from the Sundarbans. They bring their entire families to work at the brick kilns only to make barely-livable wages. Because payment is made to the head of each family based on the number of bricks they make, they need to involve their children in the work in order to maximize their earnings.

The work at the brick kilns is seasonal because of the rains. And because we are here during the monsoon season, there are only a few workers present to keep watch over inventory sitting amidst puddles of water. We had an opportunity to see the places where these families live and to learn about how easily they are exploited. The only bright spot was learning about a woman who ministers to the children of the brick laborers. She has started a little school to help educate these children in the hope of giving them a way out of the misery they live every day.

As with other children we have served on this trip, the kids in the school here are beautiful. They absolutely loved learning new songs and sat in rapt attention as we acted our Bible stories and continued to teach them through our craft projects. The lady who cares for and teaches these kids is amazing. She has found the greatest significance in her life in serving these children who are brimming with potential. She sees in them what others do not see and knows that God values each of them.

I never cease to be amazed at the people I meet as I lead teams to serve in so many places on the planet — people who serve God’s purposes in obscurity, not concerned about fame or riches or comforts. Because of the investment of one woman who saw a need and decided to do what Jesus would do, the future is brighter for the children of men and women who are doing all that they can to provide for their families, even working under extreme conditions for little pay in order to buy their next sack of rice. Because she is here, there is hope for those who live among the brick kilns of West Bengal.

Malala Yousafzai started her journey toward national prominence in Pakistan when she was asked to write Diary of a Pakistani Schoolgirl — a blog featured on BBC’s Urdu-language website. The eloquent eleven-year-old chronicled the hardships of life under the Taliban in Pakistan’s Swat Valley. When the Taliban took control of the area, one of the first things they did was to close all schools for girls. This action forced Malala and other girls to go underground in their quest for an education, clearly a risky venture. Malala, however, continued to use her voice to highlight Taliban atrocities and to champion education for girls. She gained so much popularity that the Taliban actually feared the growing influence of this young girl who refused to allow fear to silence her voice! So, in typical Taliban fashion, these stupid-in-every-sense-of-the-word-thugs went after this now fourteen-year-old girl on the grounds that she was “promoting secularism” —a crime deserving of death.

Earlier this month, Malala and her friends were on their way home from school in northwestern Swat when a gunman approached their vehicle. Once he had identified Malala, he shot her in the head and injured two of her friends. Fortunately, Malala received timely medical attention in Peshawar where military neurosurgeons removed the bullet from her head. She was later flown to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, England, a hospital that specializes in this kind of trauma. Latest reports are that Malala will recover from her wounds but will require additional surgeries to replace damaged bones in her head as well as undergo neurological treatment.

In the meantime, this failed attempt to silence Malala has helped others throughout Pakistan and the world to find their own voices. Thousands of outraged Pakistanis have rallied in support of Malala while demanding that those who attempted to kill her be brought to justice. President Zardari said that the attack on Malala “is an attack on all girls in Pakistan, an attack on education, and on all civilized people,” He’s right! Sayeeda Warsi, Britain’s Foreign Office minister for Pakistan, wrote in The Sun newspaper: “The Taliban have failed. Malala’s message of freedom and equality has now gone global. Our duty isn’t just to help this little girl. It is to carry on spreading her message.” I agree! By trying to silence one voice the Taliban unwittingly helped thousands of others to find theirs. May God help young Malala to recover fully, and may He give each of us the courage to add our voice to hers. She is a courageous champion, an inspiration, and a reminder of what one person who refuses to be silenced by fear can do to help make our world a better place.

It’s probably safe to say that most of us had similar childhood fears. I remember going through the “being afraid of the dark and there might be monsters under my bed” stages of fear. More than once I turned off the lights in my room and jumped into my bed in a single bound in order to avoid a hairy and clawed monster hand grabbing me by the ankle and dragging me under my bed. Disney’s award-winning animated film Monsters, Inc., one of my favorite movies, explored this particular fear in humorous fashion. I also remember being a little frightened by thunderstorms. However, Julie Andrews was never around to calm me by singing “My Favorite Things” like she did for those well-dressed Von Trapp kids. I had to muddle through on my own. And then there was the fear of ghosts fueled by more than a few stories told around summer campfires. These were and are typical childhood fears that tend to become less and less ominous the older we become.

This morning, we shared a special lesson with the kids at the Imparting Smiles orphanage — a lesson about how to guard against those who traffic in human beings. This is not a lesson we have ever taught at any of our Vacation Bible Schools in America. However, because Poipet is such a high-risk area for kids, Imparting Smiles founder Steve Hyde asked us to teach the kids here about this particular kind of stranger danger. As my friend Janet introduced this lesson, she asked the kids to tell her the kinds of things they feared. The initial responses were typical as kids talked about being afraid of snakes and ghosts and storms and the floods that are so common in this area. But then, kids began to share about another kind of fear — the fear that someone would take them away from their homes and do bad things to them. This particular fear is very real to these kids because they have heard stories of what has happened to other kids who disappeared and never returned home. They know that bad people in this area try to lure kids away from their homes.

The danger to kids in Poipet and the entire Bantey Meanchey border province is real. The government has placed several billboards throughout the town of Poipet and the province advertising a hotline number to call if child sexual abuse is suspected. There are also signs from the older “Please Protect Our National Treasures” campaign encouraging people to turn in suspected child sex tourists. I have also seen the same information in hotel rooms in other parts of Cambodia. These are indications that the problem of trafficking and abusing children is real. The kids in Poipet certainly know that the danger is real. Kids in every small group that we taught today shared the same fear of being kidnapped and taken far from home by bad people. It should be enough that kids here have to wrestle with the common and usual childhood fears of monsters under the bed and thunderstorms. It’s a shame that they have to fear unscrupulous individuals who traffic in humans.

Cambodia is a source, transit, and destination country for modern-day slaves — men, women and children sold into the sex trade. Some non-government organizations estimate that as many as 50,000 to 100,000 women and children are at risk in Cambodia, a popular destination for those seeking sex with children. Cambodia has a long way to go in the fight against human trafficking. I am thankful that the government is taking some responsible measures to protect children. I don’t underestimate the good that may result from someone seeing one of the billboards and reporting suspicious activity. When it comes to the fight against human trafficking, every small step in the right direction can lead to more victories for the cause of justice. I pray and long for the day when God will “do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more” (Ps. 10:18) and children who live in dangerous places like Poipet can sleep in peace with one less fear to worry about.

Last month I posted a blog entitled Hope at Freedom Place, a Christ-centered safe-house for victims of domestic sex trafficking. Situated on a 110-acre wooded campus on the outskirts of Houston, Freedom Place is the state’s first privately run safe house that provides long-term housing for American girls who are victims of sex trafficking. It is a safe haven where girls are not considered offenders but regarded as victims. We are blessed to have Freedom Place in our community and should do all that we can to support their good work.Earlier this year my friend Nikki Richnow, Chair of the Freedom Place Executive Council, asked if Kingsland’s missions ministry would create a prayer garden at Freedom Place — a tranquil oasis where their residents can spend quiet moments with God. I am happy to say that the project is now complete, thanks to the help of Jon Davis, our Missions Associate, Kingsland member Fred Abbot, and a number of Kingsland volunteers. The final plants are in the ground and situated so that they will grow to provide a canopy of share over the main gazebo. May the Freedom Place garden indeed be a place where young girls whose lives have been damaged in unspeakable ways will have an opportunity to connect with God and to continue their journey toward healing.

By Chris Berridge, Justice Partner in the FieldThe air was abuzz with sounds of laughter and joy as over one hundred girls streamed off their buses. For many, this was a rare opportunity to venture outside of the Affection* aftercare home for some different fun. An afternoon of dancing, art, bumper cars, bowling and video games awaited them. Not exactly your typical day!Every summer, various NGOs host “summer camp” activities for the girls of Affection*. The activities usually fluctuate, but they are always a blast for the girls. And of course, managing all those young girls has its challenges. Finding a place for an outing can be very difficult indeed. Fortunately, a place was found, and the afternoon was set. A massive warehouse of entertainment was exactly what they needed. You have almost certainly been to a place like this, or at least taken your child to one for a birthday party! Maybe they lacked laser-tag, but they made up for it with no lines for all the girls and full, exclusive access. They had the entire place to themselves! It was a dream-come-true for any adolescent child.

The expansive entertainment center filled all 144 girls with awe. According to one staff member from the aftercare home, “(The center) had a mix of everything! The girls could bowl, draw pictures, play games, dance, watch movies, eat or whatever they wanted to do. It was a great change of pace from everyday life at the home.” If one were to stumble upon the site that day, there was no way to tell that the girls were survivors of commercial sex trafficking. To me, it looked like one hundred something girls, regular girls, just laughing, playing and enjoying themselves. No pretense. No baggage. Just fun.

What an amazing day of vitality and joy. Again, I want to thank you all for the support you are showing to these amazing survivors. Your love is going a long way.